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Crypts of Carufell
Four men who found each other by accident, entered the tunnels below Tarabrenth together. They wandered them for a day following a stolen map and stories of treasure. Their trip led them to the second layer, where an old woman helped them find their way to a grand staircase. Stepping down it they found a shrine to Nezeril. But something followed them, hunting them through the crypts. They escape it and found a small bag of coins. Turning again they found the same area they had been before, but one passage simply was not there. But the Crypt Keeper was. It chased them, killing Zayn and Yoseph. Veldud hid. He ran to the Crypt Keeper’s ward where he found a godstone of Nezeril. In desperation he used it to shuffle the tunnels and escape deeper below. Tarron mad it out with Yoseph’s knife and a new goal. Kill the king of Carufell. Important Characters Player Characters * Tarron Kesvin * Veldud Mirthfow * Yoseph Thelandir * Zayn Shmitty Summary The four men entered the tunnels through a building in the unsettled part of Tarabrenth. Before them lay a black hallway. Wandering the tunnels, they only knew their target was near the center of the city and three layers down. They found a weak section of the wall in an old part of the tunnels. It looked like a graveyard. Yoseph used his might to break down the wall revealing a muddy slide downward. Briefly, Just as they were about to proceed down, they all felt a warm tingle in their ears from a sound unheard, gone before they could focus. The second level was no more navigable than the first. The walls were cramped and twisting. The only sound came from Zayn’s lyre and the only life were bugs and rats. Rarely did light shine down from the surface. They rested when it seemed like night. Before they slept, once more the tingle was in their ears. But they had no company that night in the section of tunnel they slept in. They wandered more when the awoke. Shortly they found a shaft leading to the surface. At the top, a grate. At the bottom, a pile of refuse and a body face down. Something about the body was familiar to Veldud. He flipped it over. It was Noldor his former business partner. It seemed he had been killed by the guard. As the group was about to move on, an old woman approached. Judging by her tattered clothes and lack of teeth, she lived down here. Yoseph called to her to back off. She kept walking, telling the group they were in her space. She stripped Noldor of his clothes and asked the upsiders what they were doing. She offered her help in exchange for food. They cautiously agreed. Yoseph asked her if she could take them to a grand staircase leading down. Cackling she lead the way. She rambled as she walked. Seemingly speaking incoherent phrases and dark mutterings. Despite this, Zayn went to speak with her. He asked if she had seen his brother. She hadn’t. But she did lead them to the stairs as promised. And as promised they all gave her some bread. Yoseph also held up his water skin. He promised her some if she told them what was down there. Cackling once more, she told them a story. It was about the fall of Tarabrenth a thousand years ago. She told them how the city stood strong in the War of Ascendance. That was until the Herald of Change entered the city. He took on many disguises and spread many rumors. At his encouragement, the city tore itself apart. It fell without attack. Yoseph gave her some water, and she left them at the stairs. Just like the map told them, the first room they found was a temple. It was a small cramped place. It was stripped clean of almost everything but an idol in the back. It stood on a short brick stage only a few inches above the rest of the floor. The statue itself was made of one piece of stone and slightly smaller than a person. It had no defining features. At first it looked like they had come off with wear. But when Yoseph ran his finger over the statue only a little dust came off. It was maintained by someone. And it had been built to be generic. Perhaps it was Nezeril. The only other thing in the room was a series on long shallow scrapes on the floor. Uneasy, they went to the library. The hallway between the rooms was narrow and covered in mud. Veldud lead the way. His boots slid in the mud as he walked. Then suddenly a click. He had stepped on a plate. With a flash, a sharp blade dropped from the ceiling. Veldud rolled forward. Though his clothes were covered in mud, he was safe. Before the blade could retract up, Yoseph grabbed it and held it down. Zayn stepped over it, then Tarron. Finally they all passed into the library. Like the temple, the library had been cleaned of any artifacts. Long ago the scent of books had faded, leaving only rotted wooden shelves. But what was in the library, were scrapes just like before. They followed them to the room labeled living quarters. It took was empty but for the same marks. As they searched the room, they felt the tingle in their ears again. And then quietly a slow rhythmic stomping. The sound echoes through the tunnels making it impossible to tell how close it was. The stomp faded out, leaving them alone. Carefully they made it to the armory. It was more of the same. No blades, no shields, no weapons. Only shallow scrapes on the floor. They went on to the locked door. But first they had to make their way through the priest’s chambers. As they got closer the smell of damp fur began to fill the air. Something else was in the chambers. In a pile of rags, rotted wood, and bone sat a sleeping giant mass of a rodent. It breathed with shallow breath. Its ears twitched. To get to the door they would have to pass without a sound. Veldud went first. Halfway through his foot touched a hollow spot in the ground. He declined to open the compartment. But his skills from the streets above let him pass silently. Zayn also crossed. He held his lyre trying to be silent for once in his life. Yoseph and Tarron stayed. They decided if the others weren't back in ten minutes they would leave. Unfortunately Zayn and Veldud couldn’t open the stone door on the other side and had to cross back. They escaped the monster. The next path took them to the crypt. It was cold there. And there was no transition. Suddenly, the walls were no longer built stone but of yellowed bones and skeletons. Shivering they looked around. Yoseph went to one and took a femur. He snapped it in half, giving one part to Tarron and Zayn so they would be armed. And then the stomp again. This time accompanied by a shrill scrape of metal on stone. One sound followed the other. Stomp. Scrape. The sounds were followed by the tingle in their ears and a warm breeze. The four men hurried to the well. The water was in a black pool about ten feet down. The rim of the well was lined with bone. In the depths below, just at surface level was what looked like a door. Yoseph took the rope and lowered Veldud down. Veldud tread the water and pried open the door to reveal a narrow passage to another room. Holding the torch out and keeping his mouth just above water he slipped his way through. Veldud emerged in a large pool in a cavern. He swam to the shore where an unlocked safe was sitting by a passage out. Carefully he pulled it open. The others heard the screech of rusted metal and called to him. He was alright but quickly grabbed the pouch of coins from the safe before telling the others to join him. Tarron went next horrified of the seemingly bottomless pool. Then Zayn who tried to keep his lyre dry. As Yoseph prepared to go down without the help of a rope he felt the tingle again. Then he heard the stomp and scrape. This time the sounds didn’t fade. He hurried down the well. The stomp and scrape got closer until they were right above him. Whatever was up there stopped waiting. Yoseph in a panic squeezed through the tight passage. He barely made it. But they were not followed. Yoseph cut his hand chanting a prayer to Rallia and smeared his blood on the wall in the shape of her rune. He waited under it. The four men rested in silence. Someone mentioned to Zayn that his brother was probably dead. Zayn didn’t know what to say. The whole time they waited they felt the tingle in their ears. Now it was obviously a high pitched noise, just on the edge of their hearing. Finally they took the passage out. Left or right they had a choice. They picked the left path. It lead them up the areas written on their map. They followed the path back to the center of the crypt. The same place where they had taken a femur. The bone was still missing. But now the path back to the temple was gone. In its place an ancient and sturdy wall. And then they felt it again. That high pitched frequency. And they heard it. Stomp. Scrape. Stomp. Scrape. It was coming down the path from the Cryptkeeper’s ward. Slowly making its way to them was a huge figure. Bigger even than the massive Yoseph. It wore a tattered black cloak which hid its face in shadow. It got closer. It walked with a limp heavily favoring its left leg. That was the stomp. It seemed heavier than a bull. Heavier than it should have been. In its right hand it dragged a massive scythe made of dark metal and gnarled wood. The blade scraped across the ground. They could feel its presence. Ancient and evil. Yoseph, Zayn, and Tarron immediately ran with primal fear. Their only thoughts were escape. Veldud froze, quickly deciding to hide. The Crypt Keeper walked down the hall slowly and rhythmically. It passed Veldud, turning its cloaked face to look at him. All Veldud could see was shadow. It passed him, but the urchin got the sense it would come back. The other three ran turning when they could. The map was no longer accurate. Zayn fell behind. Somehow the Crypt Keeper had caught up. With a flash from his scythe he cut down the musician. Zayn only knew as he died, that he would never find his brother. Tarron and Yoseph heard the steps fade. But the ever present pitch was more intense than ever. Veldud knew he couldn’t hide forever. So in a moment of desperation he turned and ran to the Cryptkeeper’s ward. Hopefully something there would help him out. What he found at the end of the long tunnel was a small room. It had a giant blanket on a cot, and a statue of Nezeril similar to the one in the temple. At its base an offering bowl with a single orange godstone. It was the first of its kind to be seen in a long time. In desperation Veldud grabbed it. He had never cast a spell before. But he had heard the rules. He knew that he had to shuffle the tunnels. The stomp scrape of the Crypt Keeper was getting closer. The godstone started to glow, and then it dissolved in his hand. In a moment of ecstasy, Veldud knew he had done it. The path through which he entered was gone and a new dark tunnel lay before. He had no choice but to walk down it. Suddenly Tarron and Yoseph heard the stomp and scrape right behind them. In front of them a hastily constructed barricade of mud, bone, and sticks. Yoseph plowed right through it. The Crypt Keeper was getting closer now, the time between stomps faster. It almost seemed like it was running. Before them was what looked to be their salvation. A narrow passage that the Crypt Keeper couldn’t fit through. Yoseph knew he might not be able to either. Stopping Tarron he pulled out his knife. He told the juggler “This is the knife of my grandfather. It’s name is Aslaf Thelandir. If I don’t survive take it and kill the king. Now run” The other man froze and Yoseph had to push him. Tarron squeezed through the passage. Stomp Scrape. It was right on top of Yoseph. He went for the wall. But Yoseph was too big. All he got was the end of the scythe. Tarron ran and did not look back. Category:Campaigns Category:Carufell Union Category:Events